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Textile Exchange launched the first Materials Market Report in 2013 as a comprehensive, annual publication that provides unique data and insights into global fiber and raw materials production.

The Materials Market Report shares best available data on global fibre and material production volumes alongside program-specific volumes and other insights such as the number of certified sites. For the purpose of this report, leather, rubber, and down are considered non-fibre raw materials and are therefore included separately from the section and charts on ‘global fibre’.

It helps inform the textile industry’s efforts to reduce emissions associated with raw material production in line with a 1.5-degree temperature rise pathway. The report highlights the urgency to accelerate the transition to fibres from preferred sources, intensify efforts to significantly reduce reliance on virgin fossil-based materials, and invest in strategies that separate value creation from the need for extracting new materials.

It’s important to note that the compilation of global market data for fibres and raw materials is challenging and the quality of available data is often limited. The collection of primary data from suppliers is beyond the scope of this report so Textile Exchange relies on secondary data from industry associations, international organizations, governmental organizations, standard setters, and research institutes.

While Textile Exchange has collected, analysed, and compiled this information in all good conscience and has cross-checked it wherever possible, the report is intended for general guidance and information purposes only. Data gaps and inconsistencies are common in global market data, so modelling has often had to be applied.

Global fibre production reached an all-time high of 124 million tonnes in 2023, according to the latest Materials Market Report– which looks at total volumes used for apparel, home textiles, footwear, or any other application.

The data shows that the market share of virgin fossil-based synthetics continued to increase in 2023, with a decline in that of cotton and recycled fibres. Other key takeaways from the report’s data include:

• Record fibre production: Despite industry efforts, global fibre production has more than doubled since 2000. The last year’s 124 million tonnes represents a 7% increase from 116 million tonnes in 2022, and is expected to rise to 160 million tonnes in 2030 if current trends continue.
• Synthetics continue to dominate: The production of virgin fossil-based synthetic fibres increased from 67 million tonnes in 2022 to 75 million tonnes in 2023. Polyester remained the most produced fibre globally, accounting for 57% of total fibre production.
• Recycled synthetics face challenges: Although recycled polyester fibre production slightly increased in 2023, the overall market share of recycled polyester decreased from 13.6% to 12.5%. For polyamide (nylon), the second most used synthetic fibre, recycled fibres constituted only 2% of the total market share. These trends are attributed to the lower prices and continued production of virgin synthetics, as well as current limitations in recycling technologies. Less than 1% of the global fibre market came from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles.
  
  The combined share of all recycled fibres slightly decreased in 2023, from around 7.9% to 7.7%, mainly due to an increase in the production of fossil-based polyester, which had lower prices than recycled polyester. Fossil based synthetics production increased from 67 million tonnes in 2022 to 75 million tonnes in 2023. Meanwhile, less than 1% of the global fibre market came from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles.
• Cotton production saw a slight decline: Total global cotton volumes fell slightly from 25.1 million tonnes in 2022 to 24.4 million tonnes in 2023. However, the share of cotton produced under sustainability programs remained stable, accounting for 29% of all cotton produced.
• Certified wool climbs: Data showed positive trends for wool produced under standards such as the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), ZQ, SustainaWOOL (GREEN and GOLD), Sustainable Cape Wool Standard (SCWS) and Climate Beneficial programs. This increased from 4.2% in 2022 to 4.8% in 2023. Recycled wool continued to account for around 6% of the global wool market.
• Certified mohair and cashmere reached almost half of market share: Certified fibres such as mohair and cashmere saw notable growth, both with market shares of 47%.
• Manmade cellulosic fibres production increased: Overall MMCF production increased from 7.4 million tonnes in 2022 to 7.9 million tonnes in 2023, representing 6% of the global fibre market.

The report highlights a continued reliance on new virgin fossil-based synthetic materials, threatening to undermine the industry’s commitments to its climate goals. It also shows the current limitations of textile-to-textile recycling and an urgent need for innovative solutions, with most recycled polyester still coming from PET bottles.

Amid these concerns, one positive trend that stands out is the increased industry demand for responsible animal fibres through programs like the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) and Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS), both contributing to better animal welfare and environmental management. This indicates the potential of farm-level standards of this kind to increase market recognition of more sustainable practices on the ground.

“We hope this data serves as a clear call to action for the industry, highlighting both the successes and the critical areas where we must intensify our focus to meet climate targets,” said Claire Bergkamp, CEO of Textile Exchange.

“Unlocking textile-to-textile recycling pathways will be essential to reducing reliance on virgin synthetics. Equally important is continuing to support those on the ground who are driving the transition from conventional systems to preferred materials. It is more urgent than ever to support those who have already invested in preferred systems, while also enabling the transition away from conventional at scale.”

Download of the Materials Market Report 2024.

The project:

• analysed 2.7 million square kilometres in India for organic cotton
• demonstrates 97% accuracy rate in detecting cotton fields, over 80% accu-racy in determining their organic status.
• aims to increase organic cotton integrity and availability

In a pioneering move that could reshape sustainable agriculture, the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and AI firm Marple have unveiled the results of their revolutionary Satellite Cotton Monitoring Project in India, demonstrating a 97% accuracy rate in detecting cotton fields and over 80% accuracy in determining their organic status. Addressing critical challenges in the industry, this innovative project aims to increase organic cotton availability and secure fibre integrity, building on GOTS's existing robust measures.

Global Standard is a trailblazer, solution provider and thought leader in the voluntary sustainability standards space, and the Satellite Cotton Monitoring Project continues this tradition of innovation and creative thinking.

How it Works
Co-financed by Global Standard, the non-profit behind GOTS, and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme, the project leverages the Cotton Cultivation Remote Assessment (CoCuRA) software developed by Marple.

Field teams visited over 6,000 fields in India, across the states of Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, collecting data on crops, soil types and cultivation status. This data was then used by Marple to refine the CoCuRA algorithm for cotton specifics in India. Once the algorithm was trained, it was applied to the entire agricultural area of India, covering a staggering 2.7 million square kilometres. Within seconds, CoCuRA detected all organic and conventional cotton fields with remarkable accuracy. A project of this magnitude is only possible with CoCuRA with no other comparable project or data in existence.

Enhancing Organic Cotton Availability
The technology's ability to pinpoint cotton fields where farmers use near-organic or uncertified organic methods can ensure a steady increase in certified organic cotton by facilitating their certification process.

Jeffrey Thimm, organic production specialist at Global Standard, said, "This technology identifies farmers who use sustainable methods that meet organic standards but lack certification. By integrating these farms into conversion projects, it boosts organic cotton supply, promotes sustainable farming practices and enables farmers to access premiums on their supplies."

Securing Organic Fibre Integrity
Building on GOTS's robust integrity measures, the CoCuRA software integrates AI technology with satellite data to verify cultivation practices meticulously. The data collected also contributes to Global Standards’ Global Fibre Registry, consolidating comprehensive data on raw material production before entering the GOTS value chain, further adding to fraud detection and prevention.

Sustainability in Textiles
Global Standard is recognised for its comprehensive approach to sustainability. From promoting human rights along the value chain to banning harmful chemicals in certified textiles, GOTS sets a benchmark for integrity and sustainability. In addition, GOTS certification is a powerful tool that helps companies comply with legal requirements globally.

"For over 20 years, we have been pioneering solutions to help the industry on its journey towards sustainability,” said Claudia Kersten, managing director of Global Standard. “This project is a game changer, combining satellite technology with AI to meet the growing demand for genuine organic cotton. In addition, this eye in the sky will prevent fraud by allowing us to crosscheck locations and field sizes in a very cost-efficient way. It's a win-win-win situation: farmers have an incentive to grow organic and improve their lives, the industry can secure its supply and meet its sustainability goals, and consumers have a greater choice of organic textiles."

Future Prospects and Global Impact
Following the successful pilot in India, the project aims to expand globally.

Daniel Lanz, managing partner at Marple, said, "India faces unique challenges in the satellite-based detection of agricultural fields. Firstly, the country is extremely large and spans several climate zones. Secondly, field sizes are very small, and thirdly, field boundaries are often indistinguishable, with one field merging into the next. Despite these challenges, CoCuRA has achieved astonishing accuracy in detecting cotton fields and assessing their cultivation methods. This breakthrough provides a pioneering overview of cotton production in India that would be impossible to achieve on the ground. CoCuRA will help protect the integrity of organic farmers and may facilitate more smallholders transitioning to organic farming by simplifying the certification process."

Guillaume Tuan Prigent, a business developer and partnership officer in ESA’s Applications Projects and Studies Division said, “The potential impact of the solution lies in its ability to be scaled and this is exactly what we are working on. We are looking to deliver a solution that could have a global impact for the benefit of all. “

Global Standard is eager to see this technology extend to other regions and additional fibres, which could revolutionise how crops are monitored.

The recycling of used textiles is facing a potential collapse. Industry experts agree that the current crisis is more serious than the COVID-19 crisis at the time.

In the case of Covid-19, there was a foreseeable period of a few months, after which the industry recovered quite quickly and the effect of pent-up demand caused prices to return to a normal level within a short period of time.
 
“We now have a completely different situation that threatens the existence of many of the established used textile recyclers in the industry,” says Stefan Voigt, Chairman of the bvse's Textile Recycling Association (FTR).
 
The global market for used textiles has been in a deep crisis for some time, which has now reached a level that can only be described as a free fall. Since the spring, the prices for original collected goods no longer cover the enormous costs for container provision, collection and administration.

The price of original goods traded on the market has now reached an all-time low, causing existential hardship for many market participants.

The sale of original and sorted goods has become almost impossible. The loss of established market players has destroyed supply chains that have been tried and tested for years, and stocks of original and sorted goods have reached unprecedented record levels. Some market participants are forced to replace the usual sales business with bartering.

According to industry information, downstream players in the recycling chain, such as shredding and spinning mills, are also under pressure and have made massive staff cuts. The production of cleaning cloths has also reached an all-time low. Due to the relocation of production abroad and reduced domestic production, demand for cleaning cloths has fallen and prices have slipped to a very low level.

Consumer behavior and international markets exacerbate the crisis
Due to the generally high cost burden on the population, the consumption of textiles has collapsed. The negative trend of consuming low-quality fast fashion is now being reinforced by ultra-fast fashion of even poorer quality. This has disastrous effects on value creation within the recycling chain for used textiles.

“During the sorting process, increasingly large quantities of relatively new textiles are being found that are already so defective that they are no longer suitable for further use and therefore have to be fed into the recycling process,” explains Voigt. However, there is no money to be made here either, as the same cost structures apply to this part of the original goods as to wearable goods and the recycling process is also very cost-intensive.

Industry calls for the introduction of an EPR system
Until now, the recycling of the proportion of sorted goods has been subsidised by the proceeds from wearable goods, but this system has not worked for some time. The industry is desperately waiting for the introduction of a national EPR system for textiles in order to stabilise costs.

The EU Commission's recently published draft of the revised EU Waste Framework Directive provides for the introduction of a system of extended producer responsibility for textiles. The existing collection and recycling structures in Germany, which enable the separate collection of used textiles close to the public, are to play a central role in this.

The draft of the National Circular Economy Strategy (NKWS) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) also emphasises the importance of the national recycling industry for used textiles. Without it, the establishment of a closed-loop system for textiles would not be feasible.

Crisis not limited to Germany
The crisis has also made ripples internationally. Countries such as the Netherlands, traditionally the largest buyer of used textiles from Germany, have already addressed the crisis in the national media. Almost 250 companies there are involved in the collection, sorting and international marketing of used textiles.

Around 60 per cent of the original goods are recycled as sustainable clothing after sorting, meaning that the industry is reliant on stable markets in which recycling proceeds can be generated. But this is precisely the problem. ‘Due to the effects of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the Eastern European market can only be served in fragments,’ explains Voigt.

In addition, despite its potential, the African market is currently facing enormous challenges because there is practically no money left in the system, he adds, explaining the concerns he receives from many interviewees in the industry: ‘The enormous drop in the value of many currencies in various African countries    means that it is becoming increasingly difficult for African customers to buy urgently needed second-hand clothing for hard currency,’ Voigt continues.

For example, the currency in the extremely important African market of Ghana has lost roughly 20 per cent against the euro over the last six months of 2024. In addition, the transfer of foreign currency now takes up to two months, meaning that it now takes up to six months to return the proceeds of realisation.

In addition, the African market is increasingly dominated by Chinese influence. ‘The actually better quality of high-quality used European second-hand clothing can hardly compete with new Asian goods,’ reports Voigt. Ultra fast fashion from China is flooding the market with extremely low prices, making it increasingly difficult to market sorted, second-hand clothing.

In addition to economic problems, there are also logistical challenges. ‘Our customers are reporting increasing difficulties in obtaining the necessary visas for a business visit to Europe within an acceptable waiting period,’ explains Voigt. The waiting time for an appointment at the consulate can currently be up to two months.

Call for short-term measures
In order to prevent the system from collapsing in the short term, Voigt believes that the usual remuneration structures for local authorities and providers of parking spaces for collection containers need to be reconsidered. ‘Recycling revenues have not been realised for some time now, so they can no longer be paid out or must be adjusted to the current situation,’ says Voigt.

The industry expects the current crisis to last even longer. ‘Not everyone will survive,’ predicts Voigt. Many collection areas are already being offered on the open market and various collection capacities are being cancelled without replacement. The future of the used textile recycling industry remains uncertain and there is no end to the crisis in sight.

Fungi have more to offer than meets the eye. Their thread-like cells, which grow extensively and out of sight underground like a network of roots, offer huge potential for producing sustainable, biodegradable materials. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP in Potsdam Science Park are using this mycelium to develop a wide range of recyclable products, from wallets and insulation to packaging.

Flexible mycelium materials in different thicknesses can be used as upholstery material, insulation board or alternatives to leather.

To most of us, fungi look like a curved cap and a stem. However, the largest part of the organism consists of a network of cell filaments called mycelium, which mainly spreads below ground and can reach significant proportions. This finely branched network has been underutilized until now. However, for researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP in Potsdam, mycelium represents a pioneering raw material with the potential to replace petroleum-based products with natural, organic mycelium composites. Organic residues from regional agricultural and forestry activities are used as the substrate for the fungal cultures. In various projects, the researchers are using mycelium-based materials to produce insulation, packaging, and animal-free alternatives to leather products.

Mycelium-based materials from regional agricultural residues
“Faced with climate change and dwindling fossil raw materials, there is an urgent need for biodegradable materials that can be produced with lower energy consumption,” says Dr. Hannes Hinneburg, a biotechnologist at Fraunhofer IAP. Together with his team, he is using mycelium — for instance, from edible mushrooms or bracket fungi such as the oyster mushroom or tinder fungus — to transform locally available plant residues into sustainable materials. “The mycelium has properties that can be used to produce environmentally friendly, energy-efficient materials, since the growth of the fungi takes place under ambient conditions and CO2 remains stored in the residues. When cellulose and other organic residues decompose, a compact, three-dimensional network forms, enabling a self-sustaining structure to develop,” explains Hinneburg. This produces a material that is a complex compound with an organic substrate such as cereal residues, wood chips, hemp, reeds, rape or other agricultural residues. These substances are a source of nutrients for the fungus and are permeated entirely by a fine network of mycelia during the metabolic process. This produces a fully organic composite that can be made into the required shape and stabilized through thermal treatment. “First, you mix water together with agricultural residues such as straw, wood chips and sawdust to form a mass. Once the level of humidity and particle size have been determined, and the subsequent heat treatment to kill off competing germs has been completed, the substrate is ready. It provides food for the fungi and is mixed with the mycelium. Following a growth phase of around two to three weeks in the incubator, the mixture will produce, depending on the formulation and process used, a substance similar to leather or a composite that can be processed further,” says Hinneburg, summarizing the production process. No light is required for this process — a bonus as far as energy efficiency is concerned.

Versatile applications: strength and elasticity can be specifically configured
The fungal materials can be cultivated with a wide range of properties. Depending on the application, they can be hard-wearing, stretchable, tear-resistant, impermeable, elastic, soft and fluffy, or open-pored. The result is determined by the combination of the type of fungus and agricultural residues, plus variable parameters such as temperature and humidity. The duration of mycelial growth also influences the end product. The versatility of the material means it can take on a huge variety of forms, from thick blocks to wafer-thin layers, and be used in a multitude of scenarios. This makes it possible to use fungi-based materials for textile upholstery, packaging, furniture, bags or insulation boards for interiors. When used as a construction material, the fungus primarily functions as a biological adhesive since a wide range of organic particles are joined together via the mycelium.

“The many positive properties of the material, heat-insulating, electrically insulating, moisture-regulating and fire-resistant, enable an important step toward circular and climate-positive construction,” says Hinneburg, one of whose current projects involves developing a novel polystyrene alternative for thermal insulation. In another project, he is working alongside the Institute for Food and Environmental Research and Agro Saarmund e.G. to produce environmentally friendly, mycelium-based packaging trays from residues and raw materials sourced from local agricultural and forestry activities. In work he has done with designers, he has also developed the base material for animal-free alternatives to leather products such as bags and wallets. As the mycelium-based materials look similar to their leather counterparts, they can be used to complement leather items in certain areas.

Developing industrial processes
In Europe, only a few companies are currently developing mycelium-based materials for commercial use. The challenges in this area include access to biogenic residues, the ability to ensure consistent product quality and the means to scale up activities efficiently.

To address these challenges, the researchers are using a newly developed roll-to-roll method, for which they have already created a prototype. This method offers significant advantages over standard manufacturing processes involving boxes and shelving systems: By using a standardized, continuous production method under controlled process conditions (such as temperature and humidity), the researchers can ensure that the mycelium-based products have consistent material properties. What’s more, resources can be used more efficiently, and production can be scaled to an industrial level. “This is crucial in order to meet growing industry demand for sustainable materials and to become less dependent on petroleum in the long term. Production can also be improved further by using innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence to optimize the combination of residues and types of fungi,” says Hinneburg.

Sheet moulding compounds (SMCs) are long-fibre-reinforced semi-finished products that can be used to produce complex moulded parts with a high surface quality using the extrusion process. The Fraunhofer IWU Zittau and the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences are researching biological alternatives for glass fibres in composite materials. The aim is to develop economical manufacturing processes so that the switch to less environmentally harmful biogenic residues for fibre reinforcement can be achieved soon.

SMC components can be used in a wide range of applications. They are used as interior panelling in trains and railways, exterior panelling for trucks and agricultural machinery or to protect electrical distribution boxes and switchgear.

Dr Rafael Cordeiro is a research associate at the Fraunhofer Plastics Centre Oberlausitz and in the LaNDER³ project at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. He is working in particular on train interior linings in which the glass fibre is replaced by natural fibres in combination with resin. The natural fibre used is hemp - more precisely, the coarser fibres that are a by-product of textile production using hemp. The proportion of natural fibres in the newly developed SMC is around 15 percent by weight; the planned use of bio-based resin as the matrix, i.e. the component in which the fibres are embedded, will increase the ‘natural’ proportion to up to 38 percent in future. Added to this are 55 percent minerals such as calcium carbonate (known as limestone or chalk) or aluminium hydroxide hydrate, which occurs naturally as bauxite. The remaining 7 per cent are predominantly petrochemical additives for which there is currently no bio-based substitute. The following are important facts about natural fibre SMCs.

Challenges for production
One challenge for production is that natural fibres in particular bind moisture and may require prior drying in countries with high humidity, otherwise blistering may occur. The formation of bubbles also depends on the impregnation.

Dr Cordeiro: ‘The natural fibre SMC has been developed in such a way that only very small additional plant investments and minimal process parameter changes are required for the production of larger quantities.’

Energy consumption during production
There are no significant differences between natural fibre and glass fibre SMCs in terms of the processes and the energy required for the production of semi-finished products and components by impact extrusion. Semi-finished products are produced at room temperature, which is why the energy requirement of the system is relatively low. The forming of components takes place in a hot pressing process in hydraulic presses, at temperatures between 110 °C and 150 °C. This temperature window is lower than that of thermoplastic components and does not require any cooling or heating cycles for the moulds, with correspondingly positive effects on energy requirements.

Impact on people and the environment
As with all plastic products, there is also the possibility of microplastic formation through abrasion. However, the natural fibre SMCs developed at the Fraunhofer IWU in Zittau are intended for the applications mentioned above, where there is no intensive abrasion. The substitution of glass fibres with hemp fibres leads to a significant reduction in skin and respiratory tract irritation among employees in the area of material and product manufacturing as well as when handling damaged parts or during disposal. In addition, the production of hemp fibres results in significantly lower CO₂ emissions than glass fibres, which considerably reduces the environmental impact.

Durability
The typical service life of natural fibre SMCs is up to 30 years, depending on whether the material is used for indoor or outdoor applications. The weather resistance, for example, can be increased by specifically adjusting the matrix resin.

Biodegradability and recyclability
Similar to conventional SMCs, natural fibre SMCs cannot be recycled either. Although the latter are not biodegradable as a whole, promising attempts are being made to separate the natural fibre from the matrix and the filler so that the natural fibre portion can be composted and the filler reused. After separation, the fibres are so small that they can no longer be used in SMC applications. There is a need for further research into the technological reuse of the short fibres obtained.

Dr Rafael Cordeiro: ‘The sustainability balance of natural fibre SMCs is not yet perfect. But it is already much better than that of glass fibre-reinforced composite materials. The material costs are also right. This means that the alternatives we have developed to classic glass fibre SMCs are definitely marketable. The production of more sustainable SMC components is possible.’

With applications in clothing, construction and food storage, the new textile reduces heat from both the sun and thermal radiation from nearby buildings.

This year has already seen massive heatwaves around the globe, with cities in Mexico, India, Pakistan and Oman hitting temperatures near or past 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).  

As global temperatures and urban populations rise, the world’s cities have become “urban heat islands,” with tight-packed conditions and thermal radiation emitting from pavement and skyscraper trapping and magnifying these temperatures. With 68 percent of all people predicted to live in cities by 2050, this is a growing, deadly problem.

In a paper published in Science, researchers from the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) detail a new wearable fabric that can help urban residents survive the worst impacts of massive heat caused by global climate change, with applications in clothing, building and car design, and food storage.  

In tests under the Arizona sun, the material kept 2.3 degrees Celsius (4.1 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than the broadband emitter fabric used for outdoor endurance sports and 8.9 degrees Celsius (16 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than the commercialized silk commonly used for shirts, dresses and other summer clothing.

This, the team hopes, will help many avoid the heat-related hospitalizations and deaths seen in global population centers this year alone.

“We need to reduce carbon emission and make our cities carbon negative or carbon neutral,” PME Asst. Prof. Po-Chun Hsu said. “But meanwhile, people are feeling the impact of these high temperatures.”

‘You have to consider the environment’
Existing cooling fabric for outdoor sports works by reflecting the sun’s light in a diffuse pattern so it doesn’t blind onlookers. But in an urban heat island, the sun is only one source of heat. While the sun bakes from above, thermal radiation emitted from buildings and pavement blast city-dwellers with blistering heat from the sides and below.

This means many materials that perform well in lab tests won’t help city-dwellers in Arizona, Nevada, California, Southeast Asia and China when predicted massive heatwaves hit them over the next few weeks.

“People normally focus on the performance or the material design of cooling textiles,” said co-first author Ronghui Wu, a postdoctoral researcher at PME. “To make a textile that has the potential to apply to real life, you have to consider the environment.”

One simple example of considering the environment is that people stand. They are wearing materials designed to reflect direct sunlight, but only their hats, shoulder coverings and the tops of their shoes – about 3 percent of their clothing – face that direct light. The other 97 of their clothes are being heated by the thermal radiation coming at them from the sides and below, which broadband emitter fabric does not fight.

The sun and sidewalk cook with different heats. Creating one material capable of protecting wearers from both provided a major engineering challenge for the team.

“Solar is visible light, thermal radiation is infrared, so they have different wavelengths. That means you need to have a material that has two optical properties at the same time. That's very challenging to do,” said co-first author Chenxi Sui, a PhD candidate at PME. “You need to play with material science to engineer and tune the material to give you different resonances at different wavelengths.”

The costs of comfort
Cooling a home too often means warming the planet, with the carbon impact of air conditioning and refrigeration systems contributing to climate change.  

“Our civilization actually uses about 10 to 15 percent of the energy in total just to make ourselves feel comfortable wherever we go,” Hsu said.

The risk from heat is not distributed evenly, however. In the U.S. and Japan, more than 90 percent of households have an air conditioner, a number that drops to 5 percent in India and parts of Africa.
 
The PME team’s new textile, which has received a provisional patent, can help provide a passive cooling system that can supplement and reduce the need for energy- and cost-intensive systems.

The applications go far beyond clothing.  

A thicker version of the fabric protected by an invisible layer of polyethylene could be used on the sides of buildings or cars, lowering internal temperatures and reducing the cost and carbon impact of air conditioning. Similarly, the material could be used to transport and store milk and other foods that would otherwise spoil in the heat, cutting refrigeration’s impact.

“You can save a lot of cooling, electricity and energy costs because this is a passive process,” Sui said.

A consortium of seven companies across five countries has jointly established a supply chain for more sustainable polyester fiber. Instead of fossil materials, renewable and bio-based materials as well as carbon capture and utilization (CCU*) will be used in the manufacturing of polyester fibers for The North Face brand in Japan. The consortium parties are Goldwin, in the role of project owner, Mitsubishi Corporation, Chiyoda Corporation (all three from Japan), SK geo centric (South Korea), Indorama Ventures (Thailand), India Glycols (India) and Neste.

Neste will provide renewable Neste RE™ as one of the required ingredients for polyester production. The polyester fiber produced in the project is planned to be used by Goldwin for a part of The North Face products, including sports uniforms, in July 2024. After that, the launch of further Goldwin products and brands will be considered.

The seven companies apply a mass balancing approach to ensure credible traceability of material streams throughout the supply chain and will jointly continue to proactively promote the defossilization of materials to contribute to a more sustainable society.

Neste (NESTE, Nasdaq Helsinki) uses science and innovative technology to transform waste and other resources into renewable fuels and circular raw materials. The company creates solutions for combating climate change and accelerating a shift to a circular economy. Being the world’s leading producer of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel and a forerunner in developing renewable and circular feedstock solutions for polymers and chemicals, the company aims to help its customers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 million tons annually by 2030.

The company’s ambition is to make the Porvoo oil refinery in Finland the most sustainable refinery in Europe. Neste is committed to reaching carbon-neutral production by 2035, and will reduce the carbon emission intensity of sold products by 50% by 2040. Neste has also set high standards for biodiversity, human rights and the supply chain. The company has consistently been included in the CDP and the Global 100 lists of the world’s most sustainable companies. In 2023, Neste's revenue stood at EUR 22.9 billion

The rise of fast-fashion, marked by rapid turnover of collections, has led to a sevenfold increase in the global trade of used clothing in the last 4 decades. With more than 80% of all purchased clothing items globally (62% in the EU) being disposed of as general garbage, which is incinerated or landfilled, this represents a massive waste of resources, causing severe environmental and health impacts. A report recently published by UNECE and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) contains an in-depth analysis of second-hand clothing trade between Europe and Chile, offers policy recommendations to the industry, exporting and importing countries to remedy this situation.

According to UN Comtrade data, in 2021 the European Union (30%), China (16%), and the United States (15%) were the leading exporters of discarded clothes, while Asia (28%, predominantly Pakistan), Africa (19%, especially Ghana and Kenya), and Latin America (16%, mainly Chile and Guatemala) were the leading importers.  

This has been facilitated by the advent of low-cost synthetic fibres and by trade liberalization that allowed the offshoring of production to countries with low-wage labour. Large proportions of clothing are made from difficult-to-separate blended fibres, making opportunities for economic reuse and recycling rare, particularly in developed countries.

“When did we normalize throwing clothes away?”, questions Lily Cole, Climate Activist and Advisor to UNECE. “As the world, mostly the Global North, has produced and consumed fashion at an unrelenting rate, a handful of countries, mainly in the Global South, have become cemeteries for the world’s unloved clothes. While visiting the Atacama Desert, my attention was brought to the textile mountains and the shifting cultural, economic, and political landscapes that birthed them. Consumer awareness is very helpful, yet, ultimately, we need policies to curb systemic trends, which is why this report and its recommendations are so necessary.”

Europe: sorting and recycling capacities lag behind  
In Europe only 15-20% of disposed textiles are collected, usually through containers, door-to-door collection and donations. About half of the collected textiles are downcycled to be used as, for example, insulation, filling, and single-use industrial wipes. Only 1% is recycled into higher value outputs such as new clothing, while the remainder is exported to developing countries.  

Of the 55% of collected clothes that are reusable, only 5 percentage points have a value on second-hand markets in the EU, while 50 percentage points have a value on export markets.  

The European Union has thus tripled its exports of used clothes over the past 2 decades, from 550,000 to 1.7 million tons. Europe, including the United Kingdom, accounts now for more than a third of global used clothing exports, and this share could continue to grow as collection rates are expected to rise.  

A design-led circular economy approach to clothing is still in its infancy. The EU Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) was adopted in 2020, the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles was adopted in 2022, and the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation was adopted in 2023. However, these policies are still to bear fruit in the form of large-scale upstream solutions to the problems of textile waste. 

“The used clothes global market is constantly growing, and with it, its negative impacts. The textile industry has a key responsibility to adopt more sustainable practices, exporters and importers to adopt relevant policy decisions to foster traceability, circularity and sustainability. UN/CEFACT policy recommendations and standards will support this transition. And of course, we all have a role to play, as consumers, to make sustainable choices,” stressed UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean.

The case of Chile: mountains of used clothes visible from the moon  
Most countries in Latin America (including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru) have introduced clothing import bans to protect their national textile and fashion industries and avoid the threats posed by clothing dumps.

By contrast, Chile levies zero tariffs, and applies no quantity restrictions in imports, only requiring shipments to be sanitised (by fumigation). It has thus become one of the top 10 importers in the world, and the first in Latin America, receiving 126,000 tons of textiles in 2021. 40% of these entered the country through the northern port of Iquique, where they are manually sorted, primarily by women, and separated into first, second, and third quality.

75% of all imported used clothes were deemed non-reusable, 30,000 tons of which are covering today 30 hectares of the Atacama desert, generating pollution and creating hazard to local communities’ health. At the same time, trade in second-hand garments also provides employment and formal and informal income for national and migrant populations in established stores and open-air markets across the country, and this must be factored in when redefining public policies.

“To address the environmental and social issues of used textile trade, the EU and Chile must work together on creating robust regulatory frameworks. A partnership between the European Union and Chile could pioneer innovative approaches to regulate and reduce the impact of second-hand textile trade, including by setting global standards for the trade of used textiles, focusing on sustainability and social responsibility." Highlights UNECLAC Executive Secretary, Mr. José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs.  

Multifold recommendations
The report contains a series of recommendations to the textile industry, exporters and importers.   

To exporting countries

• Make circular economy considerations central to the design of clothing, with mandatory targets for fibre composition that improve quality, durability, repairability, and recyclability  
• Introduce an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system holding producers responsible for the products they manufacture  
• Develop more sorting and recycling plants, through financial incentives  
• Develop minimum EU criteria for second-hand clothing exports through the use of digital product passports (DPPs)  
• Run awareness-raising campaigns to encourage consumers to make more informed choices about their clothes

To importing countries – the example of Chile

• Improve customs procedures & administrative measures at the port of Iquique to ensure digital traceability of flows of used clothing and textile based on the UN/CEFACT traceability standard   
• Establish a Circular Economy Strategy for Textiles  
• Set-up public-private alliances for recycling projects through tax extension schemes and funds to support entrepreneurship, innovation, and job creation for vulnerable groups, particularly in the Tarapacá region  
• Improve the legal framework for waste management   
• Implement a Regional Solid Waste Control Plan, involving inspections of sanitary landfills, clean points, and dumps to increase the enforcement capacity of regional health authorities  
• Accelerate the adoption of the Chilean draft law on environmental quality of soils.

The report also recommends making changes to international trade agreements, such as the2023 Interim Trade Agreement between the EU and Chile, which includes a chapter on Trade and Sustainable Development, to step up bilateral cooperation, and using it as a template for other bilateral trade agreements between the EU and other countries.   

Download the Executive Summary

Nearly every industry is poised to undergo an unprecedented transformation with the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI). AI, in simple terms, refers to technology, often in the form of computer programs, designed to replicate the human brain’s ability to perform tasks and continuously improve.

Generative AI, powered by deep learning algorithms, is making a significant impact on fashion brands. This advanced technology has the capacity to comprehend patterns within data and generate entirely new examples of text, images and even video (Bain, 2023).

Because of its ability to create new content, the fashion industry is integrating its technology into nearly all of its processes in some way, from design and product descriptions to product recommendations and 3D design (Mcdowell, 2023a).

Table 1 provides a few real-world examples of how AI is already being used in the industry.

AI in design
Generative AI has the power to revolutionize fashion design. Designers can harness AI image generators like DALL-E, Midjourney or Stable Diffusion to bring their creative visions to life.

Cala, a supply chain startup, was the first group to harness AI in the design creation process for fashion brands. In January 2023 it introduced a tool that allows users to describe their design ideas in text or upload images which AI will then transform into illustrations or realistic images. Users can then fine tune these designs before turning them into physical products. This tool marks a pioneering use of the DALL-E API in the fashion industry, enabling the creation of clothing, accessories, shoes and lifestyle products based on descriptions or images (OpenAI, 2022).

Apparel brands are also leveraging this technology. Tommy Hilfiger collaborated with IBM and the Fashion Institute of Technology on a project named Reimagine Retail. This initiative aimed to give retailers a competitive advantage in the speed of forecasting emerging design trends by analyzing a vast array of data from images and fabrics to colors (Saunders, 2019).

While generative AI empowers designers to explore new concepts and ideas rapidly by generating various design variations, there are limitations to the technology. Manual editing and adjustments are often necessary as AI cannot turn all concepts into finished products. Concerns regarding intellectual property may also arise as some AI-generated designs could be based on copyrighted work. Legal issues in this area are still evolving, prompting brands to involve their legal teams and establish guidelines (Bain, 2023).

AI in Copywriting: Efficiency and personalization
Generative AI tools are serving as valuable assistants to marketing teams, streamlining the writing process for product descriptions and marketing emails. Copywriters input keywords and instructions and AI generates copy that can be edited as needed, enabling brands to produce written content more efficiently.

The lingerie brand Adore Me has been using AI tools to optimize product descriptions for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to make them more likely to appear at the top of search engine results (Mcdowell, 2023a). Adore Me and other brands using AI this way report dozens of hours in time savings.

Using AI’s potential to personalize content at a one-to-one level requires businesses to have structured first-party data and robust data privacy measures (Bain, 2023). For now, human oversight is still required, and web teams will likely need to make adjustments to established workflows in order to incorporate AI.

AI-enhanced visual content for fashion marketing
Generative AI is also being applied to create visual marketing content.
Stitch Fix uses AI to curate personalized clothing recommendations for customers and is exploring how it could use DALL-E 2 to visualize garments tailored to individual preferences for color, fabric and style (Davenport & Mittal, 2022).

French fashion house Casablanca Paris is also implementing AI. It collaborated with the British photographer and AI artist Luke Nugent for its Spring / Summer 2023 campaign. The AI-generated images blended dreamlike backdrops with cutting edge technology.

Fashion brands can benefit from reduced production times, cost savings and increased creative freedom by using AI-driven innovations to develop visual assets for marketing and ad campaigns. However, ensuring that AI-generated images accurately represent products can be tricky as the output may differ from the original product photos (Bain, 2023; Mcdowell, 2023a).

AI Chatbots: Transforming the shopping experience
Many retailers are also using generative AI as online shopping assistants, commonly known as chatbots. These chatbots use natural language processing to understand and respond to customer questions or even make personalized product recommendations (Zeng et al., 2023). For instance, within Kering’s experimental KNXT platform, a luxury personal shopper powered by ChatGPT provides tailored recommendations and insights to users based on specific contexts (Mcdowell, 2023b).

Despite these advantages, chatbot technology still has room for improvement. It may struggle to suggest the right products due to inventory constraints or provide somewhat generic styling suggestions. However these chatbots are a work in progress, and companies are confident that their AI tools’ language capabilities will continue to improve as they gather more data and user feedback.

As the fashion industry evolves, generative AI-driven chatbots have the potential to revolutionize the way customers interact with brands, offering increasingly personalized and efficient services.

A new industry standard
Businesses in the fashion, textile and apparel space can no longer be ambivalent or willfully ignorant about AI. They must do the research and reflection needed to develop a clear organizational stance on AI or risk getting left behind.

Organizational strategies for AI need to go beyond looking at the future trajectory of AI. Executives must set up clear objectives around how to integrate the technology into their workflows.

The customer base of each brand will be central to a successful AI strategy. This means understanding both their attitudes towards AI as well as their preferences and expectations.

Introducing the fashion of the future: a T-shirt you can wear a few times, then, when you get bored with it, dissolve and recycle to make a new shirt.

Researchers at the ATLAS Institute at the CU Boulder are now one step closer to that goal. In a new study, the team of engineers and designers developed a DIY machine that spins textile fibers made of materials like sustainably sourced gelatin. The group’s “biofibers” feel a bit like flax fiber and dissolve in hot water in minutes to an hour.

The team, led by Eldy Lázaro Vásquez, a doctoral student in the ATLAS Institute, presented its findings in May at the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Honolulu.

“When you don’t want these textiles anymore, you can dissolve them and recycle the gelatin to make more fibers,” said Michael Rivera, a co-author of the new research and assistant professor in the ATLAS Institute and Department of Computer Science.

The study tackles a growing problem around the world: In 2018 alone, people in the United States added more than 11 million tons of textiles to landfills, according to the Environmental Protection Agency—nearly 8% of all municipal solid waste produced that year.

The researchers envision a different path for fashion.

Their machine is small enough to fit on a desk and cost just $560 to build. Lázaro Vásquez hopes the device will help designers around the world experiment with making their own biofibers.

“You could customize fibers with the strength and elasticity you want, the color you want,” she said. “With this kind of prototyping machine, anyone can make fibers. You don’t need the big machines that are only in university chemistry departments.”

Spinning threads
The study arrives as fashionistas, roboticists and more are embracing a trend known as “smart textiles.” Levi’s Trucker Jacket with Jacquard by Google, for example, looks like a denim coat but includes sensors that can connect to your smartphone.

But such clothing of the future comes with a downside, Rivera said:

“That jacket isn't really recyclable. It's difficult to separate the denim from the copper yarns and the electronics.”

To imagine a new way of making clothes, the team started with gelatin. This springy protein is common in the bones of many animals, including pigs and cows. Every year, meat producers throw away large volumes of gelatin that doesn’t meet requirements for cosmetics or food products like Jell-O. (Lázaro Vásquez bought her own gelatin, which comes as a powder, from a local butcher shop.)

She and her colleagues decided to turn that waste into wearable treasure.

The group’s machine uses a plastic syringe to heat up and squeeze out droplets of a liquid gelatin mixture. Two sets of rollers in the machine then tug on the gelatin, stretching it out into long, skinny fibers—not unlike a spider spinning a web from silk. In the process, the fibers also pass through liquid baths where the researchers can introduce bio-based dyes or other additives to the material. Adding a little bit of genipin, an extract from fruit, for example, makes the fibers stronger.

Other co-authors of the research included Mirela Alistar and Laura Devendorf, both assistant professors in ATLAS.

Dissolving duds
Lázaro Vásquez said designers may be able to do anything they can imagine with these sorts of textiles.

As a proof of concept, the researchers made small textile sensors out of gelatin fibers and cotton and conductive yarns, similar to the makeup of a Jacquard jacket. The team then submerged these patches in warm water. The gelatin dissolved, releasing the yarns for easy recycling and reuse.

Designers could tweak the chemistry of the fibers to make them a little more resilient, Lázaro Vásquez said—you wouldn’t want your jacket to disappear in the rain. They could also play around with spinning similar fibers from other natural ingredients. Those materials include chitin, a component of crab shells, or agar-agar, which comes from algae.

“We’re trying to think about the whole lifecycle of our textiles,” Lázaro Vásquez said. “That begins with where the material is coming from. Can we get it from something that normally goes to waste?”